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Frank A. Douglass Insurance Agency

Whitmer Noncommittal on Pandemic Order Extension, Calls for Government Action

Governor Gretchen Whitmer couldn’t say yesterday if the current three-week pandemic order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will be extended…

“It’s really to early to say precisely where we will be in a few days, much less next week, but I think it’s important for people to know that we’ve not predetermined anything. It’s going to be driven by where we see the numbers.”

The order is entering its final week, prohibiting indoor restaurant service, face-to-face high school instruction, and school athletic contests, among other things. 

At her update yesterday, Whitmer again pleaded for more help from the federal government…

“The nation’s governors, on both sides of the aisle, have been urging Congress and the White House to pass and sign a bipartisan relief bill, so that we can provide for our families, protect our front line workers, help our restaurants, support our educators, and give small business a hand during this tough time.”

She said a stopgap assistance proposal now being considered in Washington would be welcome, but not a long-term solution.

Whitmer admitted that this year’s state budget now faces a projected $1 billion shortfall, and said cuts will need to be made. Still, in the absence of federal help, she asked the legislature to allocate $100 million…

“…that will provide direct financial support to families and small businesses that have been hit hardest by this pandemic.”

She also called on the legislature to approve a permanent extension of unemployment benefits to 26 weeks, and to codify the MDHHS mandate that masks be worn in public.

Whitmer also announced that the first people in the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available will be healthcare workers.

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